Mental Registration of 3D Views and 2D Orthographic Views in Orientation Icon Displays

Side-by-side 2D and 3D views of data ("orientation icon" displays) are becoming common in visualization tools. An empirical study was run to determine the difficulty of mentally registering (spatially relating) 2D orthographic views to 3D views of block objects in orientation icon displays. 2D view orientation (top, right, and front) and object complexity were the variables under investigation. 2D view orientation was found to affect time required for mental registration, with most people requiring more time for top views. Object complexity did not correlate well with mental registration time; however, complex geometry that was partially hidden did seem to increase task time.